IT'S ALL GRAVY

Maybe it's the elegant lemon cream cake. Maybe
it's the recipe for Roast Raccoon. Or maybe it's the multiple
references to both Abraham Lincoln and Velveeta processed cheese product within the
covers of the same bound volume — undoubtedly a historic first.
It's hard to say exactly what accounts for the unexpected popularity
of the new cookbook put out by the volunteers at our Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Museum, but the first printing of 1,500 copies, issued last
week, has already sold out.

Linda Bee, director of
volunteer services at ALPLM, says she's ordering a second printing
that she hopes will be in the gift shop by Thanksgiving, in time for
holiday shoppers — or for anyone wanting to serve raccoon instead of
turkey this year (the raccoon recipe calls for stuffing and sweet
potatoes).

Period recipes from Lincoln's era make up only a
fraction of the 623 recipes in the book. Others are from descendants of his
business associates and friends; many are modern, from the volunteers and
staff. The cookbook sells for $39.99.